Today my goal was to do a loose, expressive portrait and, as the contemporary painter Alex Katz is having a grand exhibit this month, I thought I would try my hand at him. I admit that I am not a big fan of his paintings but I study them nonetheless and have found much to admire in his large scale, interesting compositions and controlled use of color. This alla prima portrait is 16x12 oil on canvas board. It feels finished at this stage even though the clothing remains unpainted. I have included a close up of a portion of the face so the brushwork is more apparent.
Alex Katz was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1927 and his prolific career spans an incredible six decades. He currently has a major exhibition at Turner Contemporary which brings together a selection of his works from the 1950s to now, including paintings, collages and a 3D cut-out.
